When I’m cycling along Himekaido (National Route 362), which is such a pleasant road along Lake Hamana, I always notice this sign for the Okuhamanako Observation Park Entrance that also says, “You can’t climb the observation deck.” It always made me curious, so when I was in Mikkabi for some car shopping, I decided to stop by and check it out.
After driving quite a distance up the mountain, the view opened up in several spots, revealing amazing scenery, which really built up my excitement for the observation park.
The mountain road from Himekaido was already pretty narrow, but the road that branched off from it looked a bit sketchy right from the start. So, I decided to park my car in a suitable spot, walk back to the fork, and explore on foot. Turns out, that was a great decision! This road was an agricultural path where passing was almost impossible. In fact, while I was walking up to the observation park, a red sports car came down from above, and I shudder to think what would have happened if I’d been driving and we’d met halfway.
After ascending the narrow farm road for a while, a path branched off that didn’t look suitable for cars or motorcycles. It seemed there were about three observation spots nearby, and since the heat was intense, I decided to visit two of them.
Miharashi-no-oka (Observation Hill), probably the highest point, had only the foundation remaining (an observation deck used to be here but was demolished). This seems to be the reason for the “You can’t climb the observation deck” sign. The view wasn’t bad, though. That said, personally, the views from the spots that opened up along the drive up were far more impressive, so I kind of felt it wasn’t strictly necessary to come all the way up here.
However, since there were hardly any people around Miharashi-no-oka, I spotted quite a few insects I don’t usually see. So, if you’re into that kind of thing, or just want to relax somewhere away from the crowds, it seems like a pretty good spot.
Later, I found out this observation spot appeared in the manga “Yuru Camp△” (Laid-Back Camp). Even though you can expect a decent view without an actual observation deck, the specific mention of “You can’t climb” must have been a message for those on a pilgrimage to the “holy site.”
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